Thank you to everyone who came to the pre-construction meeting about 242 Spencer in August. We hope that you’re enjoying the end of summer! Throughout construction, The Neighborhood Developers will send updates about construction at least monthly, so that neighbors know who to contact with questions or concerns. Construction began earlier this week, and will continue into fall 2018. The Neighborhood Developers will update you on the work happening on site, and provide contact information to reach us and our general contractor. If you don’t want to receive these emails, please click here to unsubscribe from this list.

Construction Fence and Traffic PlanTemporary fencing that has been put up around 242 Spencer Avenue and the triangular parcel across Spencer Avenue. This fencing was installed by our general contractor, NEI General Contracting, in order to ensure the security of the project site, as well as the safety of neighbors, pedestrians and vehicles passing by, as part of a plan approved by the City of Chelsea’s Traffic and Parking Commission.

For those who attended the pre-construction meeting we held on August 9, you will notice that the location of the fence is different from what was presented at that meeting.

The temporary fencing is now placed so that the sidewalk on the western side of Spencer Avenue and one lane of Spencer Avenue between Eastern Avenue and Stockton Street are closed to vehicles and pedestrians. This will allow for the contractor to safely maneuver equipment. Spencer Avenue is still open to vehicle traffic, and will remain so throughout the project, with few temporary interruptions for utility work. Within the next few weeks, this temporary fence will be replaced with jersey barriers and chain link fence for greater security of the project site.

On September 15, the sidewalk on the northern side of Stockton Street will be closed to pedestrian use, and will remain closed throughout construction. The construction fence will be placed on the surface of Stockton Street, but both travel lanes will remain open.

The fencing has blocked off the five parking spaces that existed along the property’s frontage on Spencer Avenue. To make up for this change, the fence around the triangular parcel across Spencer Avenue now allows room for five parking spaces for the use of residents, including during pick-up and drop-off for students at the Burke elementary schools.

After conferring with the City, the project team determined that this plan would be safer throughout construction, while still allowing the same number of parking spaces as the plan we proposed at our meeting on August 9. (To see an image of the site fencing plan approved by the City, click here.)

What’s Happening on the Site?During the week of September 5, workers were on site to disconnect electricity and gas to the building, and to remove utility poles that served the building. Workers are continuing to remove debris from inside the building.

Demolition of the building is scheduled to begin the week of September 18. As we mentioned at our pre-construction meeting, NEI General Contracting will mitigate dust that may be generated by the demolition process by wetting the demolition site and debris throughout demolition, and fully covering trucks transporting debris off the project site.

Who can I call?Starting the week of September 18, NEI General Contracting will have a full-time site superintendent for construction. As the superintendent, Steve Miers will be on site daily to coordinate all of the work being done on the project. He will be the first person to call if you have a question or concern about construction, and we will provide his contact information in our next email update. Until Steve arrives on site, please continue to reach out to Alex Garcia-Mendoza of NEI General Contracting, or Cassie Mann of The Neighborhood Developers, at the numbers below:

Alex: 781-885-3742

Cassie: 617-889-1375 x129

We know that any construction project will impact those who live, work, and go to school nearby. Both NEI General Contracting and The Neighborhood Developers, as well as all workers at 242 Spencer, will work to mitigate the impacts that this project will have on your day-to-day lives. We will continue to update you throughout construction. If you have friends, family, or neighbors who would like to stay informed about the project, please share this message with them. Our project website will be launching soon, and will be another resource for regular updates during construction.

Thank you for reading and for your patience as we work to bring affordable homes to Chelsea families!

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